Microsoft Lumia 535 Review

Among the best things about Nokia’s Lumia smartphones was how well every one handled the Windows Phone 8.1 OS. The budget smartphones were significantly impressive, as even the £90 Nokia Lumia 530 with its meagre 512 MB RAM felt constantly smoother and extra responsive than many similarly priced Android phones. Sadly, the 1st Lumia smartphone to reach without any Nokia branding brings this legacy to a grinding halt.

The Microsoft Lumia 535 is not the most cost effective within the Lumia Windows Phone range: that honour goes to the new Microsoft Lumia 430. At £100 the Microsoft Lumia 535 has loads of competition from budget Android smartphones, but in addition offers quite a bit greater than its predecessor, the Nokia Lumia 530. Here is our Microsoft Lumia 535 review.

Microsoft Lumia 535: Design

Microsoft might have slapped its logo on the back and front of the smartphone, that is unmistakably a Nokia Lumia.

The curved edges make for a comfortable grip and the softly curved corners have a beautiful precision to them. In that sense, it is precisely what we have come to anticipate from a Lumia handset.

The 140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8mm chassis has a detachable cover to access the internals, however it is not one of the best fitting that we have seen – we might feel some movement across the sides and across the back. When pressing the side-mounted standby button, for instance, it gave a bit of creak. That is not an enormous deal, however day in day out, it imparts the feeling of cheapness.

The exterior additionally has a shiny finish, rather than the lovely subdued tactile finishes we have seen earlier than. Which means it is often smeary from fingerprints, wants a polish and simply does not really feel great to the touch – more like a toy than a phone.

Microsoft Lumia 535: Display

Packing a 5-inch display screen into this low price device is an impressive feat, even when the panel on the Microsoft Lumia 535 is much from perfect.

The 540 x 960 Gorilla Glass 3 coated display has good color reproduction, deep blacks and a decent hit of brightness, however it lacks detail. The blocky Windows Phone icons look fantastic, however text is jagged. Reading a web page is a strain and photos lack vibrancy. It is a shame, however at this price I was not anticipating a lot better.

Viewing angles are also poor. Tilt the smartphone even slightly to the side and all you will get is a faceload of reflection.

Microsoft Lumia 535: Camera

You may find 5 MP cameras both on the back and the front of the Microsoft Lumia 535. Whereas that is not impressive for the back camera, it is a beneficiant serving of pixels for the front camera on a budget smartphone. Each snappers appear to be acceptable for the price.

The user must tap on the icon of the setting they want to change, and a control wheel seems on the right side of the display, just in reach for the thumb. We disliked the truth that we’re not handled to an image preview after a shot, and the icon that leads to the digital camera’s gallery doesn’t show a thumbnail of the last taken photo.

Microsoft Lumia 535 Software

Windows Phone 8.1 has many strengths and is a good mobile OS. In addition to Cortana – your digital assistant – you get Right here Drive+ (a great satnav app which may work offline) and free on-line storage through OneDrive. Skype is inbuilt as is Microsoft Office.

The issue is that you would not necessarily find all of your favorite applications within the Windows store. The choice is better than it was, thanks to the arrival of Fitbit and a few catch-up TV services (iPlayer, 4oD, ITV Player and Demand 5), however there are still gaping holes. It is a particular drawback for Bluetooth and different gadgets, such as smart thermostats.

Microsoft Lumia 535: Battery

A 1,905 mAh battery offers the power. That is not particularly capacious, however with its low-power processor and low-res screen not demanding a lot juice, the battery should not be too heavily taxed. Indeed, Microsoft reckons you may get up to 13 hours of talktime over 3G, which is not too bad.

Microsoft Lumia 535: Specification

OS: Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1

Body: 140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8 mm

Weight: 146 g

Display: 540 x 960 pixels , 5 inches

Memory: 8 GB internal, 128 expandable, 1 GB RAM

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 200

Camera: 5 MP, 5 MP secondary

Battery: 1,905 mAh

Microsoft Lumia 535: Verdict

A great option if you want a cheap dual-SIM smartphone, however there are better options for single-SIM users.